Chapter 186 New Year's Eve

Life went by very fast, and soon it was the end of the year. In a month, a group of prisoners had entered the army through ideological education. At the same time, the arsenal in Longmen had built more than 5,000 muskets, plus more than 10,000 original muskets.

There is heavy snow, and a thick layer has accumulated on the ground. However, even in such cold weather, there are still people surging in Luoyang City, because today is New Year's Eve, and another day is the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival was very grand in China, especially in ancient times. Every family affixes doorlinks and door paintings, which is jubilant, and some rich people hang a lot of big red lanterns.

On the streets of Luoyang City, people walk around, or buy some firecrackers, candle door paintings and so on, or buy a few kilograms of good meat to improve their lives during the Spring Festival. The whole street is full of bargaining noise.

"The shopkeeper cut me three catties of beef!"

"In, wait." After saying that, the shopkeeper picked up a sharp little bone-picking knife and skillfully cut the large piece of beef on a table.

"Come on, what should I do with this fish? Let me weigh it."

"Okay, guest officer, this fish always has money plus 30 cents."

"Why is your fish so expensive? The one next to you is always the same."

"The guest officer doesn't know that our fish is the best Yellow River carp! The price is naturally more expensive. If you think it's expensive, it's cheaper here.

"No, I want this fish. You give me a cheap price. This New Year also makes everyone happy."

"Oh, I said, you, why are you like this? This fish can't be less at this price.

Liu Xia, Mengyu, Shouhu Wang Shitou and others walked on it. Each of the people behind Liu Xia held a number of things. Listening to the bargaining sound of hawkers and guests on both sides, Liu Xiaxin seemed to have returned to her childhood. When she was a child, she often heard such words on the street.

Liu Xia and others are going to the yard in the east of the city. Because of her special status, Liu Xia did not let her live in the Duke of Zheng. She was still placed in a small yard. Today is New Year's Eve. Liu Xia felt that Chen Yuanyuan was a little lonely, so she led her own confidants to visit.

Looking at the Spring Festival couplets that have been posted on the shops on both sides, Liu Xia couldn't help thinking: Business is booming all over the world, and the financial resources are flourishing to Sanjiang. This is a couplet posted by a cloth merchant. At this time, there are many women in this store looking at the ordered clothes.

"The general is talking about the couplet? Hey hey, general, my subordinates suddenly thought of an upper couplet. Meng Yu took a look at the red paper couplet pasted on the door frame of the cloth shop and said to Liu Xia with a smile.

"Oh?" Liu Xia was interested for a moment and asked, "Let's talk about it."

"The whole world is full of spring, hey hey" Meng Yu showed an inexplicable smile on his face. After listening to this, the others laughed one after another. Liu Xia shook her head helplessly, thought for a moment, and said, "The lower couplet is that thousands of rivers and mountains are full of morning light!"

"Good!" Several people said in unison and then applauded.

Liu Xia was a little ashamed and quickly waved her hand to them and said, "Okay, by the way, has our government pasted a couplet?"

Wang Shitou hurriedly said, "General, the Duke's government has pasted the couplets, and specially found the heir of the wooden New Year painting in Zhuxian Town to specially engrave a New Year's painting for us!"

"That's good. I'll go back and have a look later." Liu Xia said with a smile. Do you know the origin of this Spring Festival couplet?

After listening, everyone shook their heads to show that they didn't know.

Liu Xia said, "Spring couplets originated from the peach charm. Developed in Song Ming. Legend has it that after the Taizu emperor became the emperor, he liked to be lively, and he also liked the peach charms posted by large families on New Year's Eve, so he wanted to promote it. Before New Year's Eve, he issued a decree requiring every family in Jinling to paste the Spring Festival couplets written on red paper on the door frame to welcome the New Year.

"What's next?" Meng Yu asked curiously.

Liu Xia continued: "On the morning of the first day of the Chinese New Year, Zhu Yuanzhang inspected the Spring Festival couplets door to door. Whenever he sees well-written Spring Festival couplets, he is very happy and full of praise. During the inspection, he saw a family that did not paste Spring Festival couplets. Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry and asked why. The servant replied, "This is a master who is engaged in pig-killing and pig farming. He is very busy during the Spring Festival and has not had time to hire someone to write." Zhu Yuanzhang ordered someone to bring pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write a pair of Spring Festival couplets for this family. Do you know what he wrote?

Meng Yu shook his head and didn't know. Liu Xia smiled and said, "Emperor Taizu wrote, "Cut the road of life and death with both hands, and cut off the root of right and wrong with a knife." After writing, continue to patrol. After a period of time, when Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the court after the inspection, he passed by here again and saw that the butcher's house had not pasted the Spring Festival couplets he wrote, so he asked what was going on. The owner of the family replied respectfully, "This Spring Festival couplet was written by the emperor himself. We hang high in the middle hall and burn incense every day." Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy to hear this and ordered his servant to give the family 30 taels of silver.

After Liu Xia said, Meng Yu suddenly said, "General, aren't we walking the road of the Taizu Emperor now?" Meng Yu's words immediately shocked Liu Xia and said quickly, "Now this is the street. Don't talk nonsense."

Meng Yu laughed dryly and said, "I know what's wrong, and I know what's wrong."

"General, we're here."

The door was pushed open by Meng Yu. Behind the door stood two guards. The two guards saw that they were Liu Xia and others and hurriedly saluted. The role of the two of them is to protect the yard. If ordinary people don't know it, they will grab it directly and the other guards in the yard will also come.

"Well, go down and find a place to have a good meal. You can't make you suffer so much on New Year's Eve. Meng Yu gave them fifty taels of silver." Liu Xia said with a slight smile.

Fifty taels of silver is equivalent to 30,000 yuan, but Liu Xia is rich now, and these personal guards are quite tired, so Liu Xia is also very generous. After listening to this, Meng Yu quickly handed over five ingots and ten taels of silver from his arms to the two guards. Meng Yu complained, "General, this silver is really heavy. My subordinates have been tired of fifty taels of silver, and the size of this silver is different, and if you want to buy something, you have to cut the silver into small pieces. It's too difficult."

Liu Xia listened and her eyebrows suddenly locked. Xin said: Meng Yu is right, but this silver is not easy to spend, and it will take a lot of manpower and material resources for local officials to melt the scattered silver into large ingots when they pay taxes in the future. It is really a waste. Liu Xia can't help thinking of silver coins. If it is Liu Xia's hairstyle banknote at this time, it is estimated that no one wants to use it, but it is okay to issue silver coins. Liu Xia thought of this, so she secretly remembered that after the Spring Festival, the Department of Industry and Commerce and the Department of Finance, together with those merchants, began to issue silver coins.

In the small yard, those maids are busy at this time. Today is New Year's Eve. It is not only necessary to clean up and paste the Spring Festival couplets, but also to make a lot of delicious food. At this time, Chen Yuanyuan was embroidering in the room. She has nothing to do now. She is completely imprisoned in this yard, so she can only use embroidery to pass the time.

Liu Xia walked into the room. Chen Yuanyuan saw it at a glance, so she quickly put down the things in her hand, stood up and walked to Liu Xia with a small step on the lotus flower. She said softly, "I've seen my husband."

Now Chen Yuanyuan has accepted his fate, and Liu Xia is also good to her, so now she has fully admitted her identity, a concubine of Liu Xia. Therefore, it was called Liu Xiafu. Liu Xia smiled and covered Chen Yuanyuan's jade hand. Chen Yuanyuan did not shrink, because she had been used to it. Liu Xia smiled and said, "How are you doing these days?"

Chen Yuanyuan blushed and whispered, "Thank you for your worry. My concubine is doing well these days, but it's just a little boring."

Liu Xia listened and looked at the small yard, but Liu Xia knew that Chen Yuanyuan could not be introduced now, because Wu Sangui and Liu Xia had not solved it. When Wu Sangui was solved, Chen Yuanyuan could appear openly. Liu Xia smiled and said, "Wait, I'll take you out of this yard in a few days."

After hearing this, Chen Yuanyuan's face showed joy and said, "Thank you, husband."